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Nate Diaz’s upcoming fight against Jorge Masvidal — set to headline UFC 244 this Saturday (Nov. 2, 2019) in New York City — will be his second in just a little over three months. Which is a far cry from his recent fighting schedule, which saw him take three years off.
And while the Stockton slugger is adamant fighting is in his blood and can’t envision himself without it, he doesn’t have to fight after UFC 244 and could take forever off if need be.
“I’ll never have to fight again (after UFC 244),” Diaz said during the most recent media scrum via MMA Junkie. “I didn’t have to fight a long time ago. But what am I going to do? I’ve got all kinds of other stuff going on, but … I don’t like not fighting,” he added, while saying the next fight simply has to make sense for him to compete again.
“I’ll take forever off, or I’ll get back to it if anybody comes correct. The only reason we’ve had problems in the past is because you better treat me like it’s supposed to be. I’ve been in this game forever doing my thing regardless of outcome. I’m coming back my next fight stronger, better anyways,” he added.
While his payday for his fight against Masvidal isn’t known, Diaz now commands big money, as he banked $2 million for his fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 202. So financially, one can see where Nate doesn’t need to go through the rigors of fighting.
Still, face-punching is what keeps the Stockton slugger sane and thriving
“I think (fighting) is the best thing for me,” Diaz said. “It’s weird because it’s self-destructive fighting, and it’s self-destructive not fighting. Kill or be killed. Like I said before, it’d kill him with it, it’d kill him without it. I don’t want to do this (expletive) at all, but sitting back watching somebody else do it is not comfortable for me.”
A win over Masvidal would likely ensure that Nate could be tempted to fight again. A loss, on the other hand, will likely signal another extended hiatus.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 244 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
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